Ministry of Defence

Defence: Expenditure

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government how muchthey have spent on defence as a share of gross domestic product in each year since 2010.

The Earl of Minto: NATO’s published figures for UK defence spending as a percentage of GDP spend since 2010 are below. YearShare of gdp20102.4720112.3820122.1620132.2420142.1420152.0320162.0920172.0820182.1020192.0820202.3520212.2920222.2920232.28

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Israel Defense Forces: British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Warsi: To ask His Majesty's Government how many British or dual British nationals are currently serving in the Israel Defence Forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports of UK citizens travelling to fight for the Israel Defence Force (IDF), but the Government does not estimate the numbers of those who have done so.The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities.

Israel Defense Forces: British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Warsi: To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements are in placeto engage with British nationals returning to the UK after serving in the Israel Defence Forces to ascertain whether they have been involved in any breaches to the Geneva Convention.

Baroness Warsi: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any risk posed to national security and national cohesion ofreturning British nationals who have served in the Israel Defence Forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities. This includes the Israel Defence Force.Anyone who travels to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity should expect to be investigated upon their return to the UK. Decisions on prosecutions are taken independently by the police and Crown Prosecution Service on a case-by-case basis.

Hamas: UNRWA

Lord Mott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports (1) that the car park of UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza sank in 2014 as a result of subterranean terror infrastructure, and (2) that UNRWA did not investigate this sinking.

Lord Mott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that UNRWA did not remove the terror infrastructure beneath Zaitun Preparatory A Boys School in Gaza it discovered in 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations seriously including any incidents related to UN installations. This is something we monitor closely in our annual assessment of UNRWA. When violations have been identified in the past, UNRWA has taken action including raising the issue with relevant parties.We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. Their independent investigations include assessment of the policies and systems UNRWA has in place to ensure neutrality.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Turnberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Hamas is seeking to prevent airdrops of aid provided by the UK and others.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to carry out air drops, including most recently on 9 April. We are using the A400M, a highly capable tactical and strategic airlift platform, with drop zones surveyed before and during the airdrop to ensure aid is delivered safely to civilians.

Ismail Haniyeh

Lord Shinkwin: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofrecent reports that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was an UNRWA teacher.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations seriously including any allegations related to Hamas' involvement in UNWRA's education provision. This is something we monitor closely in our annual assessment of UNRWA. When violations have been identified in the past, UNRWA has taken action including raising the issue with relevant parties.We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. Their independent investigations include assessment of the policies and systems UNRWA has in place to ensure neutrality.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Turnberg: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any evidence that Hamas is diverting aid meant for Gazan civilians for its own use.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: All UK aid undergoes rigorous oversight. Our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories operate with enhanced sensitivity with additional safeguards to protect against any possibility of aid diversion. They include measures to verify and map downstream partners, non-payment of local taxes and enhanced due-diligence processes. We constantly review the due-diligence assessments in place with all partners involved in delivering aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. No funding goes to Hamas and we have no information to indicate that UK aid sent to Gaza over the last five years has been used for unintended purposes.

Religious Freedom

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that regular meetings take place between Ministers from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and UK faith communities on the impact of conflict on people of faith.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We recognise that conflicts, including the current conflict in the Middle East, can impact on British faith communities and lead to a rise in community tensions. Baroness Scott, DLUHC Minister for Faith, maintains an active programme of engagement with faith community representatives to discuss a range of issues, including the impact of the current conflict in the Middle East on British faith communities.

Israel Defense Forces: British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Warsi: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of British nationals travelling to Israel to fight in the Israel Defence Forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities. This includes the Israel Defence Force.With respect to the current conflict in Gaza, Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 makes it an offence for a British subject to enlist in the military of a foreign state at war with another foreign state with which the UK is at peace. That prohibition does not extend, however, to enlistment in a foreign government's forces which are engaged in a civil war or combating terrorism or internal uprisings. The Occupied Palestinian Territories are not currently recognised as a state by the UK. The 1870 Act therefore does not apply in this instance.

Religious Freedom

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to facilitate engagement and meetings between faith communities and the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. I and the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona Bruce MP, regularly meets with members of different faith communities to discuss freedom of religion or belief around the world. She also attends each meeting of the UK FoRB Forum, which brings together around 80 civil society groups working on the issue. Over the last year, she has hosted a series of round table meetings focussing on different countries of concern, at which various faith groups have been well represented.

Hamas: UNRWA

Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the UK’s foreign policy of Israel’s claims to have discovered a Hamas intelligence command centre and terror tunnels beneath UNWRA’s Gaza headquarters.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations seriously including any incidents related to UN installations. This is something we monitor closely in our annual assessment of UNRWA. When violations have been identified in the past, UNRWA has taken action including raising the issue with relevant parties.We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. Their independent investigations include assessment of the policies and systems UNRWA has in place to ensure neutrality.

Proscribed Organisations: Arms Trade

Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to build consensus among international partners on halting the supply of arms to all parties funding, sheltering or supporting proscribed terrorist groups, including Hamas.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty and fully implements its provisions. While the Treaty does not explicitly prohibit transfers to non-state actors, the UK considers that the requirements in Article 7 (Export and Export Assessment) and Article 11 (Diversion) require States Parties to take all appropriate steps to prevent the sale or diversion of arms to undesirable end uses or end users, including terrorist groups. Specifically, Article 7 deals with exports which would 'undermine peace and security' or could be used to breach international conventions or protocols relating to terrorism to which the exporting state is a party.The Government will also not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes Criterion 1: respect for the UK's international obligations and commitments. An export licence will also be refused if there is a risk that the items will be diverted to an undesirable end-user or for an undesirable end-use, including to terrorist organisations.

UNRWA: Finance

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they provided to UNRWA in each of the past five years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK provided the following funding to UNRWA in each of the last five financial years:FY 2019 - 20: £65.5 millionFY 2020 - 21: £65 millionFY 2021 - 22: £11 millionFY 2022 - 23: £18.7 millionFY 2023 - 24: £35 millionThe UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we have paused any future funding of UNRWA.

Hong Kong: Human Rights

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement byLord Cameron of Chipping Norton in a press release on 19 March that the new Article 23 National Security Legislation in Hong Kong "undermines Hong Kong’s implementation of binding international obligations including the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights", what stepsthey are taking to ensure that human rights and civil liberties in Hong Kong are protected.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We will continue to raise our strong opposition to the continued erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and China's ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration in international fora and at the highest levels of government. The Foreign Secretary last did so with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 16 February. Our Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva also set out our concerns at the Human Rights Council on 20 March, noting the view of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the law was likely incompatible with international law. We will monitor the application of the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in Hong Kong closely and not hesitate to speak out in defence of international rights and norms.

Afghanistan and Iran: Women

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade ofthe Gender Apartheid Inquiry reportShattering Women's Rights, Shattering Lives:Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Inquiry Into The Situation Of Women And Girls In Afghanistan And Iran, published by the International Bar Association on 4 March, with particular reference to the forthcoming 79th meeting of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee in April.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO is aware of the report. There are complex legal and political questions which arise in considering any new crime of 'gender apartheid'. We are considering these questions and consulting legal advisers and subject matter experts. The situations of women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran are distinct and we will consider the unique circumstances of each country when assessing the recommendations of the Inquiry.We have repeatedly condemned Taliban and Iranian policies and actions that restrict the rights of women and girls. Officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers to reverse their harmful policies on women and girls. Since Iran's mass protests of 2022-23, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. We will continue to work with the international community to address women and girls' rights issues in Afghanistan and Iran.

Treasury

Interparliamentary Finance Committee Forum

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government why noMinisterattended the meeting on 21 March of the Interparliamentary Finance Committee Forum with members of the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru.

Lord Roborough: The Government recognises the importance of the devolved legislature finance committees’ roles in providing rigorous scrutiny to devolved administration budgets and holding devolved administration ministers to account for their policy and budgetary decisions. As the previous Chief Secretary to the Treasury set out in his letters to the Senedd Finance Committee and the Finance and Public Administration Committee last year, we are mindful of parliamentary accountabilities where UK Government is accountable to the UK Parliament for its tax and spending decisions.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 27 March (HL3259), whether they will now answer the question put; namely,how much money the United Kingdom pays to the European Union annually; on what that money is spent; and what plans they have, and to what timescale, for its reduction.

Lord Roborough: At the Spring Budget 2020 following withdrawal from the EU the OBR estimated that there was £42.3bn more to spend on public services between 2020-21 and 2024-25 than would have been the case had we stayed in the EU. This additional spending has been included in the overall spending plans set out at Spending Reviews since we left the EU.The financial settlement as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement ensures the UK only pays its past obligations as a departing Member State and does not relate to any continuing or future arrangements. As set out in the European Union Finances Statement 2023 (available in the library of the House and on Gov.uk), the UK is estimated to have paid £6.1bn in net liabilities in 2023 as part of this settlement.Where the UK has decided it is in its interests to cooperate with the EU further, for instance on Horizon Europe, details of payments are set out in the relevant departments’ annual account.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Morrow: To ask His Majesty's Government how many companies were registered on the UK Trader Scheme at thehighest point of its operation.

Lord Roborough: As of 30 September 2023, when the UK Trader Scheme was replaced by the UK Internal Market Scheme, 5,700 businesses were authorised on the UK Trader Scheme. Around 3,800 businesses were actively using their authorisation in 2023.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Morrow: To ask His Majesty's Government how many companies are registered on the UK Internal Market Scheme which are based in Northern Ireland.

Lord Roborough: As of April 2024, over 7,800 businesses are authorised under the UK Internal Market Scheme, including over 4,100 which are established in Northern Ireland.

Cabinet Office

Occupations

Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell: To ask His Majesty's Government when the Office for National Statistics plans to begin publishing data classifying jobs in the labour market based on the new six-digitExtended Standard Occupational Classification 2020 framework rather than the current four-digitStandard Occupational Classification 2020 framework.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. Lord Elliott of Mickle FellHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 04 April 2024  Dear Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) plans to begin publishing data classifying jobs in the labour market based on the new six-digit Extended Standard Occupational Classification 2020 framework rather than the current four-digit Standard Occupational Classification 2020 framework (HL3670). The ONS collects information on the labour market status of individuals through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. In addition to their labour market status, working respondents provide a description of their job allowing us to classify their occupation to the appropriate Standard Occupational Classification 2020 (SOC2020) code. Similarly, the 2021 Census collected information allowing us to identify the labour market status of individuals and classify their occupation in line with SOC2020. Much of the job information from these sources, collected from respondents, do not contain sufficient detail to give an accurate coding at the six-digit lower-level classification. Consequently, the ONS currently has no plans to publish data at the six-digit SOC2020 level.  Yours sincerely, Professor Sir Ian Diamond UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 109.7KB)

Higher Education: Investment and Procurement

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any examples in the past five years of higher education institutions succumbing to pressure from student unions to undertake boycott divestment and sanction actions in relation to their investment and procurement decisions.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe risk that higher education institutions succumb to pressure from student unions to undertake boycott divestment and sanction actions in relation to their investment and procurement decisions.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is aware that the BDS Movement has taken credit for divestments from Israeli companies carried out by universities following pressure from student campaigns. For example, the BDS Movement took credit for divestments from Israeli military suppliers by the University of Manchester in 2020 and procurement decisions by King’s College London and Southampton University. The Government is also aware of recent examples of student unions passing motions to lobby their universities to boycott and divest from Israeli companies, including for example Manchester University Student Union in 2022 and Warwick University Student Union in 2023. There are concerns that these campaigns can damage community cohesion and legitimise antisemitism. There are also examples overseas of the BDS Movement pressing universities to boycott or divest from Israeli companies for example in Norway or the United States of America. The Bill rightly applies to universities and higher education providers to prevent them succumbing to student union pressure in the future and to tackle this type of divisive activity on campuses.

Sanctions: Local Government and Public Bodies

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations from allies at ministerial or ambassadorial level about specific boycotts undertaken by UK local authorities or other public bodies.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is concerned by instances of local authorities and other public bodies pursuing boycotts and divestment activity. These campaigns can undermine community cohesion and are often inconsistent with UK Government foreign policy. Complete details of representations are not held centrally, but we are not aware of representations about specific boycotts from such sources.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fertilisers

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what considerationthey have given to the regulation, or other oversight, of the sale of plant biostimulants, including consideration of their efficacy, safety and ecological impacts.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The existing UK regulatory regime for the manufacture and placing of fertilisers on the market in the UK is fragmented and in need of modernisation. There are currently no specific requirements for plant biostimulants in domestic fertilisers legislation. However, Defra intends to improve on this by consolidating and streamlining the statute book and putting in place a conformity assessment framework for fertilisers. The framework will smooth the route to market for new and innovative products which are less polluting to the environment or are less resource intensive in their creation.To support reform of fertilisers legislation Defra has funded a review of the evidence for the safe and effective use of plant biostimulants and a review of methods for evaluating methods for verifying the efficacy of plant biostimulants.The potential impact of a chemical on plant health, including soil microbiomes is already considered, as appropriate, as part of HSE’s robust risk assessment process for pesticides and for biocides. In our regulatory programmes we do not assess the impacts of chemicals specifically on human and animal microbiomes and are not currently considering the introduction of such measures.

Agriculture

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will undertake an assessment of the impact of the agricultural transition on food production and farm business viability.

Lord Douglas-Miller: We very recently published a detailed impact assessment of a long list of actions considered for inclusion in the Environmental Land Management schemes. Actions were rated against a large number of ecosystem services and their impact on food production. An executive summary is attached. We have provided information on the potential impact of our farming reforms. For example, the farming evidence compendium was most recently updated in September 2022 and the Agriculture in the UK Dashboard was published in November 2023. These set out the contribution of Direct Payments to Farm Business Income, including analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure.’ We also publish regular statistics on farm profitability, agricultural productivity and food production, including a recent statistical publication (attached) looking at how Farm Business Income has changed since the start of the agricultural transition. This publication also provides an overview of changes to the Basic Payment Scheme and agri-environment payments. As part of the agricultural transition, we monitor baskets of relevant metrics to maintain insights into general sector trends. The Government has recently committed to producing an annual Food Security Index to capture and present the key data to monitor food security. We will of course continue to carry out appropriate timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.Qualitative Impact Assessment of Land Management   (pdf, 350.2KB)Monitoring the agricultural transition period  (pdf, 240.0KB)

Agriculture: UK Trade with EU

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following concerns raised by farmers regarding changes to the standard of food imports, whatsteps they are taking to address the impact of post-Brexit trade deals on British farmers.

Lord Douglas-Miller: All food and drink products imported into the UK, including those from countries we have trade agreements with, must comply with the UK’s import requirements and standards. The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission concluded that our Free Trade Agreements with Australia, New Zealand and CPTPP are consistent with the maintenance of UK statutory protections in relation to animal and plant health, animal welfare and the environment.Supporting UK food and agriculture is an integral part of the UK’s trade strategy. The Prime Minister made this clear at the Farm to Fork Summit in May 2023 and in his open letter to farmers. This letter, alongside the 2022 National Food Strategy, sets out the principles that guide our approach to agriculture and trade. We are putting farmers at the heart of British trade by delivering new export opportunities, protecting our sensitive sectors and our high food safety standards, upholding UK production standards and removing market access barriers.

Agricultural Products: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government what checks or compliance procedures are required for the movement of agri-intermediate goods or inputs, such as grain for animal consumption, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The arrangements for moving plants and plant products for production, such as animal feed, are set out in detail on the GOV.UK pages covering movements into and out of Northern Ireland. That includes details of the unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods to the whole UK market, as well as the support services available under the Trader Support Service and the Movement Assistance Scheme for movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. In relation to these movements, it should be noted that animal feed for use on premises located in Northern Ireland benefits from a wide-ranging sectoral exemption that enables it to be classified as ‘not at risk’.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Video Games

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of Electronic Arts remaining a member of the Technical Working Group on Loot Boxes, following the ruling by the Advertising Standards Authoritythat itbreachedtheCAP Code by failing to disclose the presence of in-game purchases in some of its products.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that video games can be enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone.The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Electronic Arts had breached the Committee of Advertising Practice guidance on two of its adverts by failing to disclose the presence of in-game purchases including random items. We understand that Electronic Arts has responded that the error has been resolved and the adverts removed, which the Advertising Standards Authority has acknowledged.In July 2023, video games trade body Ukie published new, industry-led guidance on loot boxes to improve player protections. The guidance was developed by a DCMS-convened Technical Working Group which brought together knowledge and expertise from major games companies and platforms operating in the UK, including Electronic Arts. The group met eight times and engaged with academics, the Games Rating Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Competition and Markets Authority.

Parkrun: Gender

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Sport England about ensuring Parkrun collects sufficient sex data to monitor female activity and therefore evaluate the impact of its £5 million grant.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Tackling disparities in levels of participation in sport and physical activity is central to Sport England’s ten-year ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy and the Government’s ‘Get Active’ strategy, through which we have set a target of having 1.25 million more active women by 2030.Sport England’s strategy is clear that all funding partners must work towards delivering its strategic priorities. Sport England previously awarded Parkrun £3 million between December 2018 and December 2021. The strategic purpose of this award was to start 200 new runs, with specific participation targets for women and people from lower socio-economic groups.In 2022 Parkrun became a Sport England system partner receiving £5 million of public investment with a view to making sport and physical activity more accessible to all over the next five years. Sport England monitors this investment, ensuring that Parkrun delivers against the range of priorities in Sport England’s strategy. The Department works closely with Sport England to monitor the delivery of this strategy, including key ambitions to increase participation of women and girls.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Internet: Data Protection

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that existing web protocols designed to prevent unauthorised access to personal data are widely known and easily navigable for both individuals and organisations.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have implemented to address the challenges individuals may face in opting out of large language models accessing their personal data, particularly considering any complexity and difficulty of navigating existing protocols.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce measures to encourage companies using large language models to adopt easily accessible machine-readable opt-in mechanisms to obtain consent from data subjects.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to implement regulations mandating AI developers to incorporate web protocols aimed at preventing large language models from accessing personal data without obtaining prior consent.

Viscount Camrose: The UK’s existing Data Protection Framework requires organisations, including those developing AI technologies such as Large Language Models, to comply with UK data protection principles on lawfulness, fairness and transparency.This includes requirements to make sure that processing personal data is ‘necessary’ for the intended purposes, carried out in a way that people would reasonably expect, and that data subjects are informed about processing and able to exercise their rights.The Information Commissioner’s Office has updated guidance on how data protection laws apply to AI systems that process personal data to include fairness across the AI lifecycle.

Home Office

Question

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have examined, and from which organisations, to determine that (1) Georgia, and (2) India, are safe countries.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As with all our country assessments to inform asylum and immigration decision making, we have drawn on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.